Your Committee on
Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 983, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The
purpose and intent of this measure is to update and expand the Department of Education's
existing professional certification incentive program.

Specifically,
this measure:

(1)Renames the Department of Education's Teacher National
Board Certification Incentive Program as the National Certification Incentive
Program;

(2)Expands and clarifies the
requirements of the teacher national board certification incentive program to
include school psychologists;

(3)Specifies that teacher incentives,
bonuses, and compensation beyond regular wages are excluded from public charter
schools' per-pupil base requests; and

(4)Appropriates funds for certain
bonuses for public school teachers, public charter school teachers, and school
psychologists.

Your Committee
received written comments in support of this measure from the Hawaii State
Teachers Association, Hawaii Association of School Psychologists, Oahu County
Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, and
seven individuals.

Your Committee
received written comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and
Finance.

Your Committee finds that this
measure, by expanding certification incentives to include school psychologists
and supporting certain bonuses to certain deserving education professionals,
incentivizes professional excellence, rewards quality educators, and will
positively influence school psychologist recruitment efforts in the State.

Your Committee has
amended this measure by:

(1)Inserting $1,666,434 as the amount to be
appropriated for fiscal year 2019-2020 and the same sum for fiscal year
2020-2021;

(2)Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050,
to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

As affirmed by the
record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached
to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B.
No. 983, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third
Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 983, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of
the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,